2021 Black History Month Virtual Events & Activities Calendar
Black History Month is here – and we have something special to share with you to help celebrate and commemorate this important time of year.
​
This year, knowing that much of the country is still socially distancing and unable to gather together, the SPLC’s Black Affinity Group members prepared a special calendar of virtual events and resources throughout Black History Month. This comprehensive list of resources was shared internally with SPLC staff last week – and now we want to share it with you.
​
In their note announcing the calendar, the Black History Month Committee wrote:
Our expectation is that these experiences will convey the history, achievements, and perseverance of our people in multiple contexts: from military heroism abroad to the civil rights struggle here at home; from the horrors of slavery to the present challenge of rebuilding trust between the United States and Black countries; and traversing the tastes, sounds, and pursuit of equality across our diaspora, from the United Kingdom to the United States, through Mexico and the Caribbean and, of course, in Africa – “our native land” (see Lift Every Voice and Sing, third stanza). We hope that you see not only the resilience of Black culture across time, space, and hardship, but also the connectedness between Black communities and all of our communities and cultures.
​
The calendar, which highlights one suggested event or resource every day through February 28. Some of the events require RSVPs. Others can be streamed at your convenience, anytime.
​
We hope you enjoy this chance to lean in and engage with the legacy of Black History Month from the comfort of your own home – and please feel free to share these resources widely with your friends, family and other contacts!
Monday, Feb. 1 – The National WWII Museum: Eugene Bullard: Hero of Two World Wars. See here for background information about the event.
Tuesday, Feb. 2 – National Museum of African American History & Culture: Four Hundred Souls, Ibram Kendi, Keisha Blain. Watch the recording here.
Wednesday, Feb. 3 – American Museum of Natural History: Museums and Race. See here for background information about the event.
Thursday, Feb. 4 – National Archives: South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico, 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Watch here.
Friday, Feb. 5 – Yale University, Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba Dance Workshop, 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Register here.
Saturday, Feb. 6 – The Association for the Study of African American Life and History: Foodways, Culture and Traditions in the African American Family, 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Watch here.
Sunday, Feb. 7 – Try an heirloom red velvet cake recipe from Divas Can Cook. Video and recipe here.
Monday, Feb. 8 – Check out Journey of an African Colony, hosted by Olasupo Shasore, on Netflix.
Tuesday, Feb. 9 – National Museum of African American History & Culture: Persona Poetry + Phyllis Wheatley, 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Register here.
Wednesday, Feb. 10 – Langston Hughes Library: Good for Your Soul: Cooking Dominican Style Chicken, 6 p.m. Eastern Time. Register here.
Thursday, Feb. 11 – Smithsonian: Objects and Social Justice – Race and Medicine, 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Watch here.
Friday, Feb. 12 – United States Patent and Trademark Office: Black History Month Celebration: A Focus on Business, 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Register here.
Saturday, Feb. 13 – See Chadwick Boseman’s final performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix.
Sunday, Feb. 14 – Learn to make Nigerian party fried rice from SisiYemmieTV. Video here.
Monday, Feb. 15 – National Conference on Race and Ethnicity: Black Males Navigating Historically White Institutions. Watch anytime here.
Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Watch Mississippi civil rights documentary Fannie Lou Hamer: Stand Up on PBS.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 – The National WWII Museum: War Service as Civil Rights Activism, 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Livestream here.
Thursday, Feb. 18 – Library of Congress: Giants of Racial Justice, 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Watch here.
Friday, Feb. 19 – Howard University: Re-Shaping US-Africa Policy and the Role of HBCUs Symposium, 9 a.m. Eastern Time. Register here.
Saturday, Feb. 20 – Watch Black Is King, a visual album by Beyoncé, on Disney+.
Sunday, Feb. 21 – The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: Learning from the Germans: Race & Memory, 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Register here.
Monday, Feb. 22 – Teaching Tolerance: Latinx History Is Black History. Watch anytime here.
Tuesday, Feb. 23 – National Museum of African American History & Culture: The Economic Impact of COVID-19 on the African American Community, 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Watch here.
Wednesday, Feb. 24 – SPLC Black Affinity Group: Building on the Success in Georgia, 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Join here.
Thursday, Feb. 25 – National Archives: The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity, 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Watch here.
Friday, Feb. 26 – Smithsonian: Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon for Black History Month, 10 p.m. Eastern Time. Register here.
Saturday, Feb. 27 – Watch Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami, on Prime Video.
Sunday, Feb. 28 – Royal Society of Chemistry: Celebrating Black History. Watch anytime here.